Halley's Story
by Chickadee Janette
Summary: resubmitted for setting change-When Draco Malfoy's neglected sister comes into Hogwarts on an exchange student trip, she isn't what you would think...Takes place durring the gang's fifth year, Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy join ranks when Snape re-joins
1. chapter one

This is my first long, multi-part fanfiction-Hope you like it!!  
  
Please review! I'm trying to get a review ratio of 1/6 or 100 by easter!   
  


Halley's Story: Chapter 1  


  
It was the beginning of the new school year, and Halley Malfoy was sitting through one of her least favorite subjects, History of Magic. Now, you might be thinking Proffessor Binns, right? Wrong-Halley Malfoy isn't a Hogwarts student, but was a Fifth Year student at Durmstrang. Her teacher, Proffessor Amber (they called their teachers by their first names here) was telling them about an exchange student trip that they would be making in a few weeks.   
  
"And each of you vill select a famous figure from this Jar, and vill join them for a veek and do some reaserch on their history and or jobs. You vill turn in your reports as soon as you return."  
  
Professor Amber held up an enchanted green Jar that bore the Durmstrang crest on it (a black crescent moon on a background of silver along with a green D)  
  
"That sounds interesting, I wonder who I will get?" whispered Halley to her friend Vicktoria Dintorv.  
  
"I sure hope I get von of the Qwiddeech players!" Replied Vicky. Halley laughed.  
  
Vicky was a huge quidditch fan, she was a walking encyclopedia and had memorized all 300 possible Quidditch fouls and every one of the formations and strategies used by proffesional athletes.  
  
"I just hope I don't get some boring old ministry wizard..."   
  
"Me too!"  
  
"Halley! Victoria! This is not the chit-chat club! Will you pay attention?"  
  
"Sorry, Proffesor." they replied in unison.  
  
"As I was saying," snapped Professor Amber, "Your assignment is completely up to you, just think about who you want, and maybe the enchanted jar will give you that person....if you're lucky."  
  
Vicky quickly scribbled Halley a note on the end of her Parchment scroll:  
  
_This'll be interesting...  
  
_Halley scrawled back,  
  
_I don't really want anyone in particular, but I'll think of a quidditch player so maybe we'll be together!  
  
_Vickey made an A-Okay sign with her thumb and fingers.  
  
One by one, each of the students in Halley's class picked their project with varying sound affects ranging from a whispered "_Yes!_" to a loud "NOOO!"  
  
Then it was Vicky's turn. She picked Adrian Lynch, the Seeker from the Ireland Quidditch Team, and Halley approached the Green Jar. She reached her had in and picked out the first slip she touched thinking desperately, "Quidditch Player! Quidditch Player!" but her requests were only partly granted; when Halley looked at the lime green slip of paper, it read Harry Potter.  
  
****  
  
_Thank you to Cassandra Claire, the Twins, a wandering robotic chicken, Adam, Bananabread, and my dreams for giving me thie ideas to this story and this chapter! Thank you for those of you who read and review! _  
  
@----->----->-----> a long stemmed rose for reading this story!  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter two

a/n: resubmitted for exchanging the year.  
_  
Disclaimer-I dun't own them, you dun't either!**  
  
please review!**_ you don't know how much your comments mean to me!  


  
Halley's Story: Chapter 2  


  
Halley stared at the slip of paper-millions of thoughts immediately ran through her head in a blur...."Why?" "Does he even play quidditch?" "I certainly wasn't of thinking about Potter!" "This can't be happening…." "Will I be taking my classes at Hogwarts?" "What about my Dark Magic studies?" "I wonder if he's cute..." "How in the world am I supposed to find something interesting about Potter? Everyone knows about him and the Dark Lord..."  
  
She was, after all, a Malfoy… to think about a Potter in any other way except being a piece of filth was against the Malfoy code of Honor, but for some reason, she didn't care.  
  
"Wow-you sure are lucky, Hall'-The way my parents ramble on about his triumph over you-know-who, you'd think he saved the universe from Alien Abductions!" exclaimed Vicky.  
  
"The way my folks ramble on and on about him, you'd think he's a criminal master-mind…" Halley replied, rather gloomily. "My Father isn't going to like this…." She added.  
  
"If you really want to do Harry Potter, I can always forge a signature-I'm better than any mischief maker in all Europe at those kinds of things." Vicky commented quietly.  
  
It was true; great as they were as the fifth and sixth Messrs. of Hogwarts, Fred and George had quite a bit of competition for mischief-making against Victoria Dintorv.  
  
"I guess-at least I didn't get some dull, old geezer!"   
  
They both laughed.  
  
"If you two don't stop that chit-chat, I'm going to have to separate you!" declared Professor Amber.  
  
***  
  
After classes, Victoria and Halley headed toward the River Dorms to pack. This was where they slept. The other girls' room was the Mountain Dormitories, and the boys slept in either the Glacial Dorm or the Forest Dorm.  
  
"You think I should just take my whole trunk? I can't think of anything I could leave behind, except for these old Daily Prophet newspapers…." Halley said as she rummaged through all her things.  
  
"Might as well, you're going to a school-I hear Potter's a 5th year-same year as you, Halley! Maybe you'll sleep in the same Dorm!"  
  
"Nah, I don't think so-you know how dumb someone'd have to be to let the girls and guys sleep in the same room?"  
  
"Well, you can't help hoping…"  
  
"Hey, look at this!" Halley had just discovered one of her old Dark Arts books for beginners. "You think they'll let me bring it?"  
  
"They don't even learn the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, Hall-you could be really popular if you brought that!"  
  
  
***  
  
After packing, (Halley had finally decided to bring Exploring and Learning the Dark Arts, Intermediate and Advanced versions, as well as A History of Durmstrang and its founder, and all her other school books) Halley and Vicky were still sitting in the girl's bathroom forging signatures. Halley just had to do a Harry Potter report, she couldn't quite put her finger on the reason; perhaps they knew each other in another life or something, she thought.  
  
Vicky seemed to be an expert at forging signatures; she had a whole list of questions she was asking.  
  
"Now, does your father have a standard signature? You know, a big, loopy L with what looks like a bunch of UN-dotted Is or is it all normal-looking and neat?"  
"The second one, Vicky."  
  
"Okay, do you have one with you?"  
  
"Yeah, hang on, I'll get it. Accio Letter!"  
  
Soon enough, a parchment letter was zipping down the hall. Halley reached out, and grasped it in her hand.  
  
"This is the one that I got the other day." Halley voiced. Her eyes scanned the letter.  
  
_Halley~  
Here is this week's Sunday Prophet. I want you to read the articles I outlined, and would like you to send me a report restating the articles in your own words…   
  
I want you to re-write all of this week's lessons on the dark arts and send them to Draco. I want him to keep up with the studies that he's missing at the Mud-Blood-filled school…  
  
Make sure you keep your mother and me updated on all of the things you are learning. I don't want you behind the others; it puts a bad impression on our family…  
  
  
Your father_  
  
It was funny, Halley's father, Lucius, never put "Love Always," or "Sincerely yours," or even "Yours Truly," before his name at the end of a letter. In fact, Halley couldn't remember any sign of love towards his daughter, and played favorites. Seemed to pamper Draco all the time! He also made sure that she always referred to him as "My father." It made her wonder, but she later got used to the plain, old Your fathers at the end of all her letters, and her eyes skipped over it this time.  
  
"Oh, man! Why does he never write his name at the end of letters? Always the same 'your father' after every, single, solitary, letter! How am I supposed to know what his signature looks like?" Vicky was becoming frustrated.  
  
"I wish I could help you, here, let me try to do it-then you can copy it…" Halley said as she seized a quill lying nearby. She bit her lip as she said, "it looks a bit like…."  
  
Lucius Malfoy Halley said as she scribbled onto Vicky's neon parchment. (It was a shade of "glowing green" at the moment.)  
  
"Like this?" said Vicky as she tried to do the same onto the now "Shocking Pink" paper. It turned out like:  
  
Lucius Malfoy   
  
"It's more of a…."  
  
Lucius Malfoy Halley scrawled onto the "Electric Yellow" note.   
  
"You mean like…" Vicky started to giggle, and when Halley looked at the green-again paper it read:  
  
LUCIUS mALfOY   
  
Halley rolled into laughter.   
  
"Okay, let me try again-like this?   
  
Lucius Malfoy  
  
"Not quite as loopy, but you've got the idea."  
  
"Okay Halley, we are in business!"  
  
Vicky was clearly a professional at this- she seemed to know exactly what to do! First, she took the bright yellow paper and placed it underneath the parchment. Then, she dug through her bag and took out a glass vile containing a thick, clear liquid, which she spread onto the parchment permission slip with her fingers. The gooey liquid appeared to be some kind of potion that makes things temporarily transparent, Halley concluded. Not before long, the yellowish paper started to glow blue, then fade and appear almost transparent-just enough to see the black ink underneath it that was the signature that Vicky had forged. She took out a special quill ("I put a load of hexes and charms on it so that teachers won't know that I used it to forge or cheat!" Vicky exclaimed quietly. She evidently was very proud of her you-can't-tell-if-I-cheated quill.) And traced the signature onto the slip.   
  
"Vicky, you are a genius! I could never could've done that myself!" Halley said in awe.  
  
"Well, I've had a lot of practice-you learn a lot with twin brothers as your only siblings…" Vicky finished with a bit of an "I'm proud of my work and accomplishments" sort of tone.   
  
"Wow, you must know every trick in the book!" Halley was awed at Vicky's talent for trouble-making.   
  
"Well, not all-Yesterday I learned that a hand in warm water gets you a wet bed!"  
  
***  
_  
There was a panicked crowd nearby-She could hear their frightened voices outside of the room. They seemed to be terrified of something…  
  
Who's that?  
  
"No, please, spare them!"  
  
"Get out of the way!" commanded a fierce voice-not a normal voice, but one that was high pitched, snake-like and sent shivers down your spine…  
  
Halley could only see the back of the person in front of her…it was a red-head wearing robes of faded turquoise and was pleading with a dark, shadowed figure she couldn't make out…  
  
"I won't leave." You could definitely hear the panic in her voice, even though she was trying to sound brave-it was almost as if she knew what was coming…  
  
Then, just like in the dreams before, a piercing shriek filled her head, and the woman fell to the floor with a thud.  
_  
"AAAAARRRGGH! " shrieked Halley. Blankets drenched in cold sweat, heart pounding 100 miles an hour, and the adrenaline pumping through her veins, Halley woke with a start. She had had dreams like this before, and all of them made her heart pound.  
  
"What? Huh?" said one of the girls groggily.  
  
It was Rae-one of the girls that Vicky and Halley shared their dorm with.  
  
"Rae, it's that dream again-" Halley said, you could hear the panic in her voice.  
  
"Oh…I think we'd better start taking these seriously-If I'm not mistaken, aren't you having more of them lately? Tell me about your dreams, okay Hall'?  
  
After calming down a bit, Halley managed to tell her friends her story. It wasn't long, but she was scared that the woman in front of her could've been…well…her. Every one of the people that she told about her dreams thought that Halley and the person who screamed in her dreams looked remarkably alike. Although Halley was a brunette and the other was a redhead, they did have a bit of a resemblance according to Halley's descriptions.  
  
"…Just like the others…I think I know who the shadowy figure was, Hall', but I don't think you want to know…"  
  
"Who, then?"  
  
"Well, I think it was...well…I think it was You-Know-Who…the Dark Lord…Mister Voldemort…the guy who everyone who doesn't know a deatheater as a friend despises…and that one person who has a knack for making everyone scream if he walks into Hog's Head."  
  
Halley showed a wry smile. Although she knew that Rae was trying to be funny, she couldn't stop thinking about her dream.  
  
"What if it's an omen? I think you're gonna die." someone stated.   
  
"Be an optimist!" another girl said as she elbowed her friend. "What if it's telling us that Halley's going to be a martyr and is about to die for all her friends in order to save the world?"  
  
"That's not any better!" Halley revolted. She put her head in her hands and started rub her forehead with her sweaty palms. "Face it you guys-there's nowhere she can go-my father doesn't care if I die or not, and we all know what he can do to mum if he finds a letter like that…"  
  
"I think you should just go on this exchange trip and write to us if anything else comes, okay Hal'?" and Vicky patted her on the back.  
  
***  
  
It was early morning, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The three of them were in high spirits, in fact, all of the Gryffindors were. They had won a Quidditch game the other night, and that meant that they would be playing in the finals-for the House Cup.   
  
"Wow, Harry, that capture was superb!" Ron commented.  
  
"I can't believe it-it's your-" Hermione started counting off her fingers and said, "6th win in a row!"  
  
"Your quidditch skills have really improved since you first started playing, that feint was superb!" Ron commented.  
  
"Thanks!" Harry voiced.  
  
As the three of them walked down to the hall, many congratulations were shot Harry's direction. "Great game, Potter!" and "Superb playing!" were some of them.  
  
Everyone was happy, and they turned into the great hall to hear a lot of clatter coming from all four tables. The Potter Three headed past the Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and sat down at the Gryffindor table where Cheese omelets and Danish bacon were waiting to be eaten.  
  
"Excuse me, students! I have an announcement to make-We hold the honor of receiving a student from Durmstrang here to do a report for her History of Magic class." Ron and Harry's faces started grinning to hear that she was a girl and not some burly boy like they've seen for the Triwiard.  
  
"She is in Sixth Year," Both of them went ecstatic.  
  
"Her name is Halley-"  
  
"Wonderful name, doncha think?" Ron whispered to Harry.  
  
"Malfoy." It was a funny moment-to see the faces of those two boys-from happy to excited to ecstatic to totally bummed out and confused.  
  
"What!?!?!?!" Ron blurted out, "That's not right! Either Malfoy has a sister we never heard about, or Malfoy's a really common name that doesn't always refer to blood-sucking invertebrates…" Ron turned an angry red-his family and the Malfoys absolutely loathed eachother.  
  
"Yeah, well-it's probably the second one, sure hope it's not the first."  
  
Both of them turned their almost-sour faces toward the Slytherin table, and to their surprise, Draco Malfoy was as shocked as they were.  
  
*** (Cut to Slytherin table)  
  
"That is not right-" Malfoy was astonished at that proclamation.  
  
"Do you know that Halley Malfoy person?" Pansy Parkinson questioned  
  
"Of course I know her-she's my sister. What I want to know is: How did she get my-our father's permission…" This was the first time Malfoy looked puzzled.  
  
"So you do know her." Said Vincent Crabb  
  
"Yes, Crabb, I do know my own sister, and I do know that my-our-father would not give his permission for her to come here, and I do know that you're so slow, you'd hold a slug back in a three-legged race." Malfoy said sarcastically.  
  
Crabb stared cluelessly at him.  
  
Malfoy smirked back.  
  
*** (Cut back to Gryffindor table)   
  
"Looks like they're as shocked as we are," said Harry through narrowed eyes. He couldn't stop glaring at them.  
  
"I don't trust them you guys," Hermione said, "I think they're up to something. Look at Malfoy-the look on his eyes…."  
  
"Just what I need-something to ruin my day." Ron said glumly. He had his rarely-seen-I-can't-believe-that-there's-more-than-two-Malfoys-and-we're-stuck-with-them-both expression on.  
  
***  
That day at the train station, the air was thick with good-byes. Everywhere, there seemed to be echoing good-byes and Send me an owls. Rae, Halley, and Vicky were just exchanging their Good luck on your reports when Halley got pulled aside by one of her professors. It was Professor Faiten, the Divination teacher. She presumably had something on her mind and was about to tell her something important, but Halley didn't take notice of it.  
  
"Yes, Professor?"  
  
"Halley, I-" Began Faiten, but she was cut off by the train's whistle.   
  
"All aboard!" called the conductor.   
  
"Sorry, professor! I've gotta go!" and Halley climbed into her compartment.  
  
She sat down, gave a sigh, and looked around her empty compartment. Halley gave a sigh, and fell into a deep sleep.  
  
***  
  
Well, Halley's on her way to friendships, family, discovery, and presumably danger-but let's not get into that right now. In the next chapter, Malfoy meets Potter/Weasley/Granger. No one's sent me any requests yet, so I don't know what you guys want…weather it's Draco-in-leather, or something else!!  
  
_Thank you to Cassandra Claire, the twins, a wandering Robotic Chicken, Adam, Bananabread, and my dreams for giving me the ideas to this story, and this chapter!  
  
_


	3. chapter three

**Haley's Story Chapter 3  
**

  
  
"Young Miss Malfoy?" someone drawled as they shook Haley awake.   
  
"I don't wanna grow up…" she yawned groggily. Apparently, Halley was still dreaming.  
  
"Excuse me, but your stop is coming up in just a few minutes…"   
  
Halley opened her eyes to see a young face staring at her….   
  
"What? Oh….okay." said Halley as she sat up. She glanced at her watch and realized that she had about five minutes until she came to the station.  
  
As she was walking down the corridor to kill the time, she heard bits of conversation leaking into her ears. Most of them, like "Aaaa" "ssss" "hoooo" "llll" were just silly kid's games, and a few were boring business talk. Halley took little notice until she came to a talk about her father, Lucius Malfoy. Taking interest, she started to eavesdrop, just like she did at home when locked in her room.  
  
"-Of course, she doesn't know. The result would be too risky. Imagine what the ministry would do if they knew." Said a woman's voice. She sounded fairly young.  
  
"He says that his wife is always getting in the way…won't let anything happen to either of them…." Replied a man's lower one.  
  
Halley leaned closer to the wall, wondering what they were talking about. As the distance between her and the compartment door increased, she peered into a small crack. Neither of them were recognizable to her.   
  
Halley gazed at the two, and took in as much as she could as she could remember. The woman had darker, shoulder-length hair that was tied back neatly in a large clip. The man had chestnut colored hair that looked as if it had been gelled into spikes. Both seemed to be at about age 25.   
  
As Halley leaned forward, trying to catch as much of the chat as possible, the train came to a swift, yet smooth halt.   
  
"Attention, all passengers: We have arrived at Hogsmeade station! Seven minutes until we leave for the next stop, Admon City!" Please exit as quickly as possible!"  
  
The announcment having grabbed her attention, Halley bolted back to her compartment. She gathered up her things, and hauled her trunk out of the train.  
  
Stepping out of the train, Halley gazed around the station. The station was much like an ordinary muggle train station, she thought. There were wooden benches, stone walls dividing the platforms, and people pulling suitcases, backpacks, and trunks on wheeled carts. (A/n: I've never seen a train station, let alone ride on one…if my descriptions aren't entirely correct, please ignore it…) Waiting for her near one of the deviders was her brother, Draco, and a greasy-haired someone she didn't recognize at first. Then, she relized that it was Severus Snape, the one her father had invited over for dinner several times a long time ago. Of course, she didn't remember that all too well because she usually spent formal nights in her room. Dressing up just wasn't her thing… Then she remembered that he taught potions at Hogwarts.  
  
Right besides him was Headmaster Dumbledore. Halley remembered her father talking about how he was the worst thing that could happen to the school. Many a time, he would mutter to himself as he worked through his job as a newspaper editor about how it was his entire fault that he lost his job as school governor.  
  
"Hello, Hal' " Malfoy said rather stiffly.  
  
"Hello Draco, Professors." Returned Halley.   
  
"Now that you're here, let's get going. I don't want to waste my time here. I have things to do." Snape retorted as he moved them both towards the door.  
  
"Hmm…well, down to business. Halley, what house do you want to stay in?" Dumbledore asked. "I'd have you sorted, except you're only staying with us for a short time. You can stay in the Gryffindor tower where Harry Potter stays, or you can sleep in Slytherin with your brother. Of course, you could stay in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's your choice."   
  
Weighing her chances of success, Halley chose Gryffindor. She figured that it would be a lot easier that way.  
  
As the four of them steered towards the exit, she noticed that Snape headed off to the train that was soon leaving. Halley remembered all the things Lucius had said about Dumbledore: how he was the worst thing that could happen to the school, how he was a filthy mud-blood lover, how he cost him his job and income had decreased….  
  
But she pushed all of that from her mind. She remembered long ago, before she could remember anything, that a close friend had told her not to judge people by their past actions or families. She hadn't been following the advice too well, and now was a perfect opportunity to.  
  
The three of them climbed into the horse-less carriage and sat down in the squishy leather interior. The ride wasn't too bad. Although it was a bit rickety and bouncy, and Draco said he only went because it got him out of later lessons, cheerful conversations with the Headmaster kept this out of her mind. Draco was sulking in a corner most of the time.  
  
"Well, here we are!" proclaimed Dumbledore. "Halley, welcome to Hogwarts!"  
  
The three of them entered the Great Hall where most of the students were busy talking or eating. Halley had never seen something so marvelously decorated ever! The ceiling alone could make you stare in awe…tonight's was a blue almost black with a crescent moon so long, it almost formed a circle. The stars that dotted the sky were glistening and shimmering!  
  
Dumbledore headed to the long table near the front and Draco went to the closest table furnished in Green and Silver. Halley followed him, but he turned around and pointed to the furthest table. "You go over there" he said, malice in his eyes.  
  
Halley turned a color of pink and trotted to the Gryffindor table. Scanning her eyes up and down, she soon spotted an untidy bit of Black hair and some red and brown too, and immediately knew that this is who she was looking for. They appeared to be about her age.   
  
"Hello, I'm Halley." She said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.  
  
"We know who you are. You're Malfoy's sister." Ron retorted coldly. The Weasleys and the Malfoys never got along.  
  
"Yeah, and I know who you are, too. Draco talks about you at home." She focused on Harry's lightning bolt scar, Ron's red and Hermione's bushy brown hair. "Weasel, Potter, and Granger (AKA: mudblood)."  
  
Harry looked into her eyes and thought to himself, something's not right about that girl. I don't trust her… Ron deciding that he couldn't put up with any crap, took his plate, said, "C'mon Harry. Let's go sit by Ginny." And the both of them turned their backs and headed of towards the other red heads.   
  
***  
  
The first night, Hermione had been considerably warmer towards Malfoy's sister, she had introduced her to the other Gryffindor Girls and had given her the "Grand Tour" which included several useful secret passages. In fact, Halley thought, it seemed as if it was her first time meeting a Malfoy. She couldn't even tell if Hermione knew about her father's reputation.   
  
After the grand tour, Halley and Hermione, and also, Parvatti, and Lavender who had come along strolled back towards the Common room. It would be her first time in the Gryffindor Tower, but Halley wasn't expecting much. From what she heard from Draco, the common rooms were bleak and gloomy. To her surprise, Parvatti was looking forward to showing her the Common Room. Steering up and down so many passages and stairwells, Halley tried to keep up in her mind how to reach it… Left at the big, billowing curtain, up the 2nd staircase you come to, ask door politely to let through, right at the 17th coat of armor, but it was too difficult. There were so many twists and turns that Halley was grateful she knew people who memorized the way.   
  
When they came to a long corridor on one of the upper levels, the girls stopped at a portrait of a rather fat lady in a pink silk dress.   
  
"Password?" she asked.  
  
"Swing-line" Hermione responded. The fat lady swung foreward on hiden hinges and revealed a door to the common room. Stepping inside, Halley looked around the room.  
  
The passage lead to a large room furnished in large, squishy armchairs and long, elaborately carved wooden tables. There were various portraits and pictures along the walls and on the left wall was a sign that said, "Boys." Next to it on the right was a sign that said, "Ladies." The four of them trotted up the staircase on the right and headed to the third landing. Above the door was yet another sign that said, "Fifth Years," and under that was a paper poster that stated, "Warning: Nutty Inhabitants. Enter at your own risk!" on it.  
  
The other girls ignored the poster, and pushed open the door. There lay before her were four elaborately carved Four-poster beds, complete with scarlet hangings and matching bedside tables. She rushed over to the bed with her trunk at the end and peered out the window above her headboard. There was a marvelous view: the lake and a small cabin near the edge of the dark and mysterious forbidden forest was visible.  
  
***  
Through the whole weekend, Harry, Ron and Draco had not spoken a word to Halley. Pansy Parkinson, who used to be friends with her, was unmistakably snotty towards Halley. Halley figured she had a whole month to do her research became closer friends with Hermione, hoping it would trigger a "Your friends are my friends" sort of thing.  
  
After the weekend, Halley's first Hogwarts class was Care of Magical Creatures taught by the lumbering Hagrid. Today's lesson was (thankfully) not a hands-on one, but to be taught by the thrashing Monster Book of Monsters. Hagrid had told them that this year there was going to be a special focus on Dragons, (don' ask why) and were focusing on various different species.  
  
Later, the Gryffindors had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. The squat witch, Professor Sprout, taught this lesson, and Halley's group consisted of Lavender Brown, herself, and Hannah Abbot of Hufflepuff. Professor sprout instructed them how to gather juice from the rare Chinda plant. The three of them cautiously collected it in small containers and capped them with a cork.  
  
After a hurried lunch, everyone was in for a surprise. Their next class was History of Magic, and who was to be teaching but Fleur DeLacour?   
  
"Fleur? Fleur D-D-DeLacour? N-No way!" Ron stuttered as he gawked at her silvery blonde hair and soft, pale skin.  



	4. chapter four

A/N: Thank you so much to the two of you who provided reviews on the site, (kinda sad, huh?), to those of you who read the series and keep your silence, and for the endless help I get from Bonnie and Brandy! Also, I appreciate your comments more then you can imagine, and thank you so much for reading my fic!  
  


**Chapter Four**  


_  
It was sunset, and he was trotting along, carefully and cautiously, yet still enjoying the cool autumn air. He descended down the steep cliffs, but he had no problems since his paws were built for rough terrain. He was headed towards Hogsmeade, for he had heard that _she__ would be there. It was hard to believe, even that she could be alive_.   
  
Cautiously climbing downward, he kept his ears and eyes pricked for any strange signs. His eyes set towards the west, where he saw the beautiful sunset just sinking below the forest. He could almost hear the lake shimmering just before it, and the castle resting on cliffs besides it. His thoughts turned, and he wished the boy luck, for he knew danger would lie ahead.   
  
He was almost certain he would get into town safely. He started to walk a bit slower, and relaxed more. It wasn't too far from there, when he could've sworn there was someone lurking in the brambles. He turned his head, but couldn't see anything. Getting a little nervous, he decided to speed it up a little. He was almost there, when he heard someone distinctly murmur something. It was an incantation…he didn't recognize the words, but could tell it was clearly dark magic. Before he could even turn his head, or think another thought, the world as he knew it went black…  
_  
***  
  
Harry and Hermione immediately turned their heads towards the door. The class was silencing, and it was hard to believe, but sure enough, there she was. Glowing brightly, silvery hair swishing in back of her head as she shook it, pale eyes beaming towards Ron, Harry, and the rest of the boys gawking at her was Fleur DeLacour.   
  
Ron remembered a while back, not too long ago when Fleur told them she would try to get a job at Hogwarts. As far as they knew, Defense against the Dark Arts was the only available staff place at school.  
  
She walked, more like glided, into the classroom and sat down as she told the boys to tuck their tongues back in. Hermione give a dirty look at Ron and Harry.  
  
It was clear to Halley, by both the boys' looks and the girl that Fleur was part Veela. Halley's family was (however distantly) descended from them. She knew because there were pictures of Veela in the halls. Only on very rare occasions, there were boy-part veela, yet there he was, her brother with his glowing smile and witty charm "rolling (atleast he said so) with chicks"…  
  
"As feefth years, we will be focusing on many different subjects. We will start out the year with a continuation of your dark creatures studies, and will later be focusing on counter-curses and how to perform them.  
  
"Please open your books…no, not those ones, your Monster Book of Monsters, to page Three hundred twenty…"  
  
***  
  
Brandy was a sensible student. Being a Hufflepuff, she always did what was told, and only broke the rules when necessary. Her father was an auror, and her mother used to be one, too. Hall knew all aout bthe things that old Mad-eye told him, but her father had been so worried, that he tried to hide it from her, assuming she wouldn't have to know. But in the year before this, Cedric was killed, and Dumbledore told what had happened.   
  
It was so long ago when Brandy's mother died…it had been "Daddy and Me" for almost her whole life. But Brandy's mom had been murdered by a group of Deatheaters, which ones she didn't know, but she hated them.  
  
Heading towards the library, Brandy thought she'd does some research on spells, curses, hexes, that sort of thing. She looked through some in the charms section, but didn't find what she wanted. Brandy thought she'd look near the restricted section, where the dark arts books were kept, but Madam Pomfrey eyed her dangerously and prevented her from further research.   
  
_Cross out that idea…_ and she went over to ask Roni something.  
  
"Hey, Roni!"   
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"I want to write an article for the school paper."  
  
"Sure, I guess... but I would much rather interview you."  
  
"No, that's okay. I can write-i'm a big gurl."  
  
***  
  
That evening, Halley found herself in the Library. She was looking up information on some weird creature, and was supposed to do a seven-inch report on it. She didn't recall it's name, it was called like Star-fa- or Star-somethings, and they looked like vicious combinations of horses, a man, and a stag with fangs.  
  
She wasn't alone in the librairy, she could hear Roni Gelden buzzing around the magazine corner. She could be seen with an acid-green pen, probably inherited from her aunt, Rita Skeeter. Yes, Halley knew about how Rita was as good as gone as a special corrispondent, and rumor had it that she had asked her sister's daughter to follow in her footsteps. So far, she succeeded in talking Dumbledore into a School Newspaper, and wrote nasty articles on certain students from other houses. Strange, there was never anything there on the Teachers…   
  
Giving her an unheard remark, she continued with her work in the library. Madam Pince was there, trying to shoo Brandy from around the restricted section. It was very quiet in the library, and Halley could hear Brandy's soft footsteps as she approached Roni. Halley never approved of Rita Skeeter's articles, and grabbed some books to bring up to the common room.   
  
Making her way up the staircase, she caught the sight of Harry sneaking off somewhere. It seamed like he was headed towards the owlery…  
  
"Hedwig'll get it to him soon enough." He thought to himself aloud.   
  
Halley followed him all the way there where he found a large snowy owl and tied a rather lengthy letter to its feet.   
  
He whispered something into the owl's ears, it gave a hoot, and owl-nipped Harry's finger. She took flight and headed off. It was then when it hit her.   
  
_I need a hiding spot! _  
  
She frantically looked around, but it was too late.  
  
"_You!_" he spat viciously. "What are you doing here?"  
  
She pretended to know what she was doing. "I don't think Hermione would like that if she knew what you were doing."  
  
"Doing what?" Harry eyed her suspiciously.  
  
"Contacting that Black behind her back…Father talks about him all the time." What was she saying? Halley didn't know what she was talking about. It was strange, as if someone was using her as a puppet. A mere marionette to talk through… But it wasn't any kind of spell, she still had her mind, and she had many…too many hexes and curses already experimented on her. And it wasn't the Imperius curse either.  
  
"How did…how would you know what I'm doing, Malfoy?"  
  
"Oh, I have my ways. I can always tell when someone's doing something they're not supposed to." she said, narrowing her eyes mysteriously.  
  
"Well, leave me alone. I don't want _anything _to do with _you_." And Harry turned to leave.  
  
Halley fell onto her knees, exhausted. _What. Was that?_  
  
~~~  
  
Well, I guess you guys know the routine now…Not! there's still more coming, keep reading we've got a star coming! Thank you for reading my fic, and don't stop here! Also, don't forget to fill out the box at the bottom our little arrow's pointing to it!  
  
Thanks so much to all of you guys who read this stupid fic... keep reading, and for the ones who review, I love you guys! And thanks again to da twins for your endless help!  
  
don't forget to review!!! |  
|  
V  
  
  



	5. chapter five

Sorry this took so long to get out, bot a really cool idea for an original! Sorry, I'm making myself a promise not to show it to anyone till it's completely finished! Keep reading, 'yal, and thanks, Gringa, Bon-bon and brand, Sugar, all of you who keep current with my story and let me know what you think in more than 20 words!!  
  
OH-AND THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU TO THE UNKNOWN-TO-ME AUTHOR WITH ME ON AUTHOR ALERT!!!! THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING!!! YAY!!! (well, this is kinda late in the story for a first author alert...well, for all of you explerianced authors, this is a reminder of your first author alert! *smiles*)  
  
  


**Chapter Five**  


  


  
_"Show support for the truth!"  
By Brandy of Hufflepuff_  
  
As we all know, about three months ago, a student was removed from our midst by the infamous He-Who-Mustn't-Be-Named. That student, Cedric Diggory, was murdered. Ever since that first disappearance, more and more witches, wizards, and muggles have gone missing, and many a few were reported dead.   
  
It has come to my attention that the Ministry hasn't lifted a finger to prevent these very tragic occurrences, and Headmaster Dumbledore has been forced to take his own actions.  
  
All these disappearances, and eventually, deaths hold the clues to the answer. It's so clear, but no one acknowledges the dangers. Don't any of you remember when You-Know-Who was in power? How your parents won't ever speak of that horrid time? Do you want the magical community to suffer like that again?  
  
The terrible time, only fifteen years ago, is here again.  
  
"What is this world coming to?" Questions Hannah Abbot, one of my fellow Hufflepuffs.  
  
How many of you have felt the powers of You-Know-Who first hand? Like me, wouldn't you do anything to stop it this time? What will you do to take a stand against the Ministry's lazy actions? Or will you not even believe our own teacher?  


  
"Unbelievable." Said Ron, as his eyes scanned the article. "How does she get all this information? It's like a Rita-Skeeter repeat."  
  
"We've already got one of those, I just hope the ministry doesn't get a hold of this article…" Hermione said.  
  
Harry's eyes turned towards Roni. He hadn't really noticed her before, because she was usually so quiet. But still, it was amazing how accurate Brandy's article was.   
  
Speaking of accurate, he remembered last night, when that Malfoy had followed him up to the owlery. How his worries had made him careless. He hadn't even noticed her footsteps trailing behind him. And the way she read his mind was unreal. It was so precise, like they knew each other before…like she could read his expressions like Hermione could… But that was impossible. She was a Malfoy, and he was a Potter, right? Right.  
  
Then, Harry remembered what was in the letter. He had chosen careful wording, incase the owl was intercepted, which it almost was. He had told him of his nightmares, and him waking up in a pool of cold sweat, scar throbbing again. Harry figured that since he ignored his troubles during the day, they caught up with him at night. But these dreams had been different, not just images of the white, bony scull and the red, snake eyes that were Voldemort…Harry was sure Sirius would go crazy with concern again, but Harry figured that it was about time they owled each other again.  
  
"Harry?" Hermione asked, sounding a bit worried.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Oh, nothing…you just looked…a bit dazed, that's all. Is there something bothering you?"  
  
"No, I'm fine," he lied.  
  
***  
  
Who knew? Who in all of England, knew that he would be joining his old master in a few hours? Who would've thought that in a few days, he, Severus Snape would walk up to danger, and bend over, exposing his neck to the sharpened dagger of death? Yet, there he was, climbing out of the train, searching for Malfoy Manor.   
  
Fear. Fear is horrifying. It takes over your entire body, and engulfs it in a dark, nothingness feeling. It is nauseating. Fear is walking up to death, and spitting in its face. Fear is the knowledge you will die, and doing it anyways. Fear is regret. Fear is drowning in cold fire, you are so terrified.  
  
Of all the old Death Eaters that were still free, Lucius Malfoy was the worst of them all. Lucius, his old partner, who despised him more than anything else in the world. That is who he feared. Lucius had remained with the Dark side, only faulting in not searching for him. And he feared Voldemort. The cold, gray eyes, the freezing, unresistable radiance that spread through your body like fire in the brush….  
  
He knew he could not apparate right into the estate, for it would be too easy for the Aurors to raid them of the valuable dark arts objects hidden in miles of tunnels beneath the hearth…. He knew he had to enter through the front gate….  
  
Severus knew the mansion's underground like the palms of his hands. So many times had he been there with Lucius; exploring the tunnels as boys, concealing forbidden objects as adults…  
  
He knew he would have to face the past some day. For years, he had told himself, those days are over, its the end now. But in the back of his mind, he knew the time would come when the consequence would be paid. He only hoped it wouldn't be too soon.  
  
Lost in his thoughts, it seemed too soon that he arrived at the front gate of the manor. Severus gazed up at the elegant iron designs, and memories flooded his mind.   
  
*sigh*…if only I had the trust I had twenty years ago…  
  
"Severus?"   
  
It was Narcissa. Snape had found himself in the Manor. His busy mind had subcontiously guided him into the gardens, where Narcissa was tending to the gardens outside of the mansion. He could see her wearing garden-gloves, just like in school. Herbology and Potion-mixing had always been her strenghths.  
  
"Hello Nars. I'm here to see Lucius."  
  
"Oh. He's in the study." She said, giving him an encouraging wink.   
  
Severus stepped into the mansion, and made his way down the halls. He tried to remember the way down to the tunnels, but his memory was fuzzy, and he seemed to find himself in the same corridor twice many times.  
  
He found the study, and made his way over to the fireplace.  
I hope this works… He said, reaching for his wand to unlock the door. Luckily, it was still tapped to let him through. He could still get in.   
  
Snape climbed down into the dungeons. The underground city that he used to call 'the hide-out.' It was full of dark magic, just like it was when he was a teenager. It wasn't that long ago, actually. Only a few years back, and those times stood out vibrantly, like a zebra in the Serangetti.   
  
Submerging into the heart of the underground city, Severus took the route he knew best. His mind told him this was the way to explore most of the tunneling, and he continued on the path down the barren, grimy tunnel; minutes passing slow as a drippy faucet.   
  
It wasn't for what seemed like hours that he finally saw something stir up ahead. The faint red glow and the burning on his forearm could only mean one thing: Voldemort.  
  
"Lucius, we have a visitor." Hissed the icy voice as his eyes focused right on him. All of his life as a Hogwarts professor dreaded this moment, yet there was no way around it: The time is now-I must pay the price now.   
  
***  
  
"Brandy, I'd like to speak to you." Dumbledore said as he caught up with her. She was headed to Potions, but the tension in his voice made her forget about the lesson, and made her nervous.  
  
"Yes, professor?" she replied.   
  
"Will you come to my office?"   
  
There was something going on-something had happened. Something big and it involved her. Now the tention was in her voice too. Not many people had been in Dumbledore's office. This was definitely something major.  
  
She followed him to the statue that was the entrance to Dumbledore's place.   
  
"Pumpkin Pastry!" He announced. The statue jumped to life, and stepped aside to reveal a passageway.   
  
They climbed up the spiral staircase to the Office, and Dumbledore made a gesture telling Brandy to do the same.   
  
"Brandy," He said as he sat down. "Your…your father was tracking down a known death eater. He left last week, and he…we can't contact him. He has disappeared."  
  
She let out a gasp. This was anything than what she expected… first her mother, then her father. She didn't even want to imagine what they might be doing to him right now, she thought as silent tears rolled down her teary-eyed face. She wiped her eyes. Brandy was overcome with grief. Her heart ached, and felt as if it had been cut through. Her mind was wiped blank, only knowing the present, how sad she felt, and she could no longer fight the tears any longer, and let her emotions spill out as she wept.  
  
"It's okay, it's okay," Dumbledore said, as he hugged her, trying to comfort her. He patted her on the back as she wet his shirt with her tears. It reminded her of how her dad hugged her when her mother had died.   
  
"C…can I go to my common room, professor?" She asked, trying to hold back the sadness that had lodged itself in her throat.   
  
"Of course. You will be excused from all of today and tomorrow's lessons. I'll note your teachers."  
  
Her tears had slowed down now, but there was still a steady stream running down her face. Drip…drip…drip. She slowly headed back toward the Hufflepuff common room.  
  
***  
  
a/n- oh, dear-what am I doing to poor brandy and snape? That was terrible! Hmm....who thinks Snape should be the center of this story? what about Brandy's father's death, what's up with that? oh well, part of the plot. Thank you for reading! Don't forget to review, and thank you to all of you who have sent in your comments!  
  
once again, brandy, bonnie, sugar-everyone-and especially to those of you who review, for your support!  
  
  



	6. Chapeter Six

Hello all readers…I'm SOOOO sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out, hopefully, I'll pick up the pace. Reason? I was working on another fanfiction in my notebook (yeah, Brandy, you know what I'm talking about!)  
  
I made an effort to make this one a little longer than usual to make up for all of the lost time. I'm kinda making this up as I go, so gimme a break if it stinks!   
  
Vicky's colour-changing parchment is back by popular demand ^_^   
  
and as always, please REVIEW! All of the peeps that I send it to say that it's really good, but I NEED REVIEWS!! I have like - 200 hits, and like 5 reviews…not fair, right? Anything is welcome, and if you don't like this story, don't leave and ignore me, REVIEW AND FLAME IF YOU NEED TO!! TELL me why it sux! I want to make this fic as good as it can get! (but that means planning ahead, ick!)  
  
Anyways, if you're still reading, ON WITH THE STORY!!!  
  
_Just a reminder what has happened so far…Brandy's father is gone, Snape is in Malfoy Manor to face his past, and oh what else? Harry's strange encounter with Halley and the beginning of chapter four will be mentioned in later chapters, so don't forget it!  
_

**  
Chapter Six  
**

  
*SWISH* went Harry's invisibility cloak as he crept swiftly down the corridor. He needed a break; Harry hardly ever got breaks from life, and a nice quiet stroll down the corridor seemed like just the thing to get rid of his throbbing headache. He headed towards the Hospital wing to get some potion, but then turned down a different passage in the opposite direction, not really thinking about where he was headed. Where was he going anyways? Dunno don' care.   
  
He walked through the hall of Armor, (and he had a strange feeling like they were watching him) and ended up by Hogwarts lake. He watched the tranquil, gliding ripples float on the surface from the center to the shoreline. (He suspected the mer-people were doing some Squid-Hunting) Harry watched the faint candlelight glow and flicker in Hagrid's cabin. You could make out a large shadow walking around, and eventually tucking itself into bed as the dim light fluttered out.  
  
It was then that Harry noticed a figure sitting on the shore a ways down. He lit his wand. Someone was sitting down, reading or writing something. He could see the small glow of a "Lumos" spell.   
  
"Nox" Harry said, threw the cloak over his shoulders, then silently went over to meet the person-whoever it was holding in one hand his unlit wand, and the other, his invisibility cloak.  
  
The Moonlight lit up her features as harry crept closer. Her red-brown hair sat in waves on her shoulders, and silvery-jade eyes looked up from the letter she was reading. (Which was temporarily Metallic Purple, and fading into a shimmery magenta colour)  
  
"Who's there?" She asked suspiciously. It was Halley. Harry could tell by the unmistakable drawl, which he suspected was a common Malfoy trait. "I know you're there, come out."  
  
Harry bit his lip as he decided if he should take off the cloak or not. _Just do it,_ he thought to himself. _You know she's doing that project-you owe it to her.   
_  
_No I don't! She's Malfoy's Sister! His SISTER! _ _I don't owe her anything! _ _Heck, I didn't even know he had a sister! _Harry thought back.  
  
_All the more reason to talk to her. _ He argued with himself.  
  
Halley closed her eyes trying to read the aura from the invisible someone. She always had been good at Divination, (probably from the many private tutors she had waiting at home) but it was too hard. Halley didn't know the people here too well, so she couldn't read their personality auras too well either. She could tell, however, that it was a boy in an invisibility cloak. Probably her brother playing another prank on her. Halley reached out, and tried grabbing at the air where she suspected Draco was.   
  
Harry barely missed her arms by inches when he backed up to dodge the flailing arms. All it took was a hop, skip, and a jump - backwards that is. Tripping, then stumbling backwards, He tripped over a tree root. "OW!" he said, right after he fell over backwards on his bum. The cloak slid off of his shoulders.   
  
"Potter!" she said surprised. Then, "Potter!" trying to sound more disgusted. "What are _you _doing here? Shouldn't you be at your ballet lesson learning how NOT to be clumsy as an ox? At least it'd give you grace for the next time that you're busy reading other people's mail."   
  
Harry got up, and after hitting his head on _another_ low branch and rubbing where he suspected a good sized bump might form, said, "That does it! I was_ actually _going to help you with that damned report!" he said, even though it wasn't _exactly _true. "But you can just forget it now!" Harry's headache wasn't exactly as gone as he hoped it would be, either.  
  
"No, wait-" she said. "Before you go, can I ask you a question?"   
  
"Fine." He said, crossing his arms, and making a "make this quick" sort of face.   
  
"What do you like to do for fun?"   
  
Harry was surprised at this question. He thought it was going to be some smart-allek remark about his "clumsiness" (it's all the tree's fault, really!) "Um…I like Wizard chess, I guess. And I think Exploding Snap is pretty fun… just about anything to avoid homework, unless it's Divination so me and Ron can make up…" then he stopped, when he remembered the hate in Draco's eyes whenever he brought up the Weasleys. Malfoys and Weasleys…that's right. don't mix. Remember that, Harry. He said to himself. "And quidditch of course. I really like that game. I find myself practicing all the time." _Mostly so that I can beat your brother to a slimy pulp at the next quidditch match._  
  
Halley laughed. "I hate my brother." She said.  
  
"Did I say that outloud?" Harry thought to himself aloud.   
  
"Um…yeah. You just said, 'did I say that outloud,' Last time I checked. Didn't you?" Halley said, eyeing him suspiciously.  
  
"Oh well, never mind. I must've. I can be really spacey sometimes."  
  
"I can_ see _that," Halley said, eyeing the bump on his head. Then asked suddenly, "Who do you hate? Besides my brother." She added.  
  
"How did you know I hated Malf-I mean Draco?" Harry said, realizing their last names were the same.  
  
"Everybody does. Especially me. Nobody hates him more than I do."  
  
"I dunno; Ron could give you a run for your money if you ask me…." Harry said, remembering the Bouncing Ferret incident. (I want to fix that in my memory forever…Malfoy the bouncing ferret!)  
  
"Who else?"  
  
"Dudley. The fat muggle that I live with. I hate all of them. Dudley, Uncle Vernon, Piers, the whole lot."  
  
"Me too. They're all fools." Halley said, thinking of her father, Lucius. "Plus, half of them smell like they haven't showered all week."  
  
"Dudley doesn't. You'd be lucky if he showers once a month. Probably because he can't get his fat blubbery butt into the tub." Harry said, laughing. Then, "Wait a sec, How do you know the Dursleys?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The muggles I live with. How do you know them? You said, 'They're all foul' "   
  
"All muggles are the same." She drawled matter-of-factly. "Big, stupid, blundering…"  
  
"I don't think so! Most of them aren't bad at all." Harry protested, even though he couldn't think of any at the time.  
  
Halley knew that Potter would say something like that eventually. He was always sticking up people like that Weasley kid and Brainy-Granger…even that pretty-boy Hufflepuff Diggory… Cases like that Harry Potter…they never make any sense to her. Pure-blods are, after all, much better than any mud-blood or stupid half-breed wizards. All of her friends said so. _Yeah right. Whatever you say, Potter.   
_  
***  
  
_ Dear Vicky,   
How are you? I'll bet you're having lots of fun with your History project. I hope you're having fun! All that Quidditch…it must be like a dream-come-true to spend a whole month with Adrian Lynch. So he gave you a private lesson? That's so cool! You must be getting very good with all that professional quidditch stuff!  
I sure wish Harry Potter would do something to help me with my project. My moron brother spoils everything for me! That Potter hates him so much, he hardly speaks to me! I don't know how I'm going to get this done on time! The Girls I sleep with in my dorm are just as bad. That mud-blood Granger's with me and so are two other prissy, preppy, boy-crazy girls. It's disgusting the way they goggle over all those Hufflepuff pimps - I think I'm going to barf!  
Oh well, I sure hope you're having a much better time then I am. Other then the horribly cold people here, it's a lot of fun at Hogwarts. I really like the way they put together the castle - it's a lot better than Draco makes it out to be. There's so many secret passages, I get lost about 3 times a day! I'm getting better, though. The paintings are magnificent, and the common rooms are very nice. Maybe I can talk father into letting me come here with my brother. Hopefully, I'll be in Slytherin (Dumbledore told me it would be best if I were in the same house as Potter for now. Stupid Gryffindors…)  
  
Best Friends Forever,  
Halley M._  
  
***  
  
"Lucius, we have a visitor."  
  
The cold, hissing voice struck through him like daggers of ice. It had been years since he had last confronted the dark lord. More than a decade.   
  
"Severus Snape. What a surprise to see you." Voldemort hissed menacingly eyes a fiery red.   
  
"Indeed," Lucius said tensely. Snape wondered if Malfoy's eyebrow twitched like that by the dark lord all the time, or if it was just because he was here.  
  
Snape kneeled down on one knee before the dark lord and looked towards the floor and said, "I have returned to serve you, master. I wish to aid you in your quest for immortality." Severus said, and looked up into Voldemort's crimson eyes, trying to get as much of a malice-full look as he could.  
  
Lucius narrowed his eyes and looked at Snape. "You liar - what are you _really _doing here?"   
  
"Like I said, I'm here to serve my old master."  
  
"Severus - you weren't at the ceremony this summer. Whatwere you doing?" Voldemort said, darkly. If the two Deatheaters were eight years old, it would've been perfect if Lucius said 'yeah, what were you doing!?'  
Snape took a deep breath - he had rehearsed this on the train, done it a thousand times, - he could do it again. "I was at the Third Task, master. Besides the fact that nobody can apparate off the Hogwarts grounds, it would be too risky to leave them in order to return to your side. People would get suspicious."  
  
_Liar_. Voldemort didn't have to say the words out loud to make Severus feel the blame freeze his bones.   
  
"Crucio!"   
  
Snape had had this curse put on him before. But it was more terrible than ever. His entire body felt like it was being pierced with a hundred knives. His skin felt as if it were being scorched with a hot iron and frozen in the arctic ocean at the same time. His muscles were being stretched past the limit, and cramped into nothing. It fealt like he was going to burst. Severus's shrieks were still echoing in the empty corridor scaring bats out of an unseen opening.   
  
Just when he thought that he would go mental, the Dark Lord lifted the curse from him. Snape was lying on his side on the floor, hunched over gripping his stomach gasping for air. His legs were twitching in seizures from the pain, and the scream's echo could still be heard just around the bend.  
  
"What do you think we should do with this vermin, Lucius?" Voldemort murmured viciously to the man at his side.   
  
Snape started to get up, and was still panting from the curse, using his shaking arm to lean him against the wall. He looked over at the destructive man who had once been his best friend. He looked into his eyes, trying sending a message that said, "friend, help me - I _need _your _help_"  
  
Lucius looked at Snape, and saw the look he gave him. He tried to be as hateful as he could when he said, "I will hold him here in my dungeons. I have a plan, but must have more time to develop it."  
  
Voldemort could see the tiny bit of companionship shining through. An unseen grin floated through his evil mind. Yes, He had a plan too.  
  
"Very well. Show me the place you are to keep him."   
  
Lucius bowed to his master and said, "Yes, master," then led him to a dungeon off of the passage that led to the fireplace entrance. He opened the door, and shoved Snape into the room. There was only one barred window - and it was on the door. Lucius peered in, hate in his eyes, then flashed a look that truly said, "I'm sorry."  
  
Voldemort placed his icy hand on Malfoy's shoulder. Lucius resisted a small shudder - he still fealt the ice run through his blood, even though he was used to his freezing touch. "We will resume our 'little chat' at dusk. Meet me here." And with that, he disapperated.  
  
Severus looked around the cell that was to be his "home" for a while. It reminded him of the remote Slytherin dungeons: muck splattered on the walls, dirty floor, and a single wooden bench held on the wall by chains on the side. Barely any light came through the single window, just like his office. He took off his cloak, laid it on the wooden planks, and did his best to fall asleep.  
  
***  
A/n: well, I think that's as far as I'm going to go - I'm really anxious to hear what you think is going on in the story - what's between Lucius and Severus? And how in the world is Halley going to get her project on Harry finished when he won't even talk to her?  
  
Read and Respond! Wild Guesses are welcome! I love reading constructive reviews! (Keyword: constructive!!!) Thanx everybody!  
  


Chickadee Janette  
  
***be as brave as you can be***  
*a child of love and fantasy*  
***Make your dreams come true:***  
*You'll see Fantasy; magic can happen to you!*  



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